13 THE EEPORT UPON No. 14 



The game and fishery laws have been very well observed during the past year. 

 Very few seizures or prosecutions happened last year. The deputy wardens and 

 overseers have performed their duties well and give me assistance and information 

 with reference to poachers and other matters. 



Your obedient servant, 



y. Chauvin, 

 Game and Fishery Warden. 



Gkavenhubst^ January 5th, 1918. 

 D. McDonald^ Esq.^ 



Acting Deputy Minister of Game and Fisheries, Toronto, Ont. 



Deae Sie, — I beg to report on the conditions of game and fisheries in my 

 district during 1917. 



Sporting Game : Deer were reported quite as plentiful as last year and deer 

 hunting is still very good. Some clubs were able to get their number in three or 

 four days. Comparing to-day with twenty years ago a marked difference can be 

 noticed. At one shipping point in Muskoka twenty years ago I saw as many as 

 150 deer go out in one season where now 10 would cover the past year's shipments. 

 This would indicate that the deer are being driven further back into a smaller area. 



Moose never were plentiful but a few have been reported. 



Bear are reported a great deal more numerous than for some years previous, 

 and they have been seen in places where they have been unknown for some time. 

 No reports have reached me of damage to live stock being done by them. 



Partridge are very scarce and should be protected for several years yet. 



Ducks seem as plentiful as they have been for the past ten years. 



Fur-bearing Animals: Mink and muskrat are still found to be as plentiful 

 as I have known them to be for some years, but the beaver have increased under the 

 protection of the close season to such an extent that about every piece of water has 

 a family, and many complaints of their doing damage to timber and roads were 

 reported, which complaints were quickly dealt with and very little actual damage 

 occurred. 



Wolves have not been reported on the increase and no cases have come to my 

 notice where they have done damage to farmers' live stock, but the deer, no doubt, 

 suffer as usual and every encouragement should be offered to wolf hunters. 



Fishing: Sportsmen from nearly every lake in the district state that angling 

 for bass, pickerel and trout has been much better this year than usual. This might 

 be accounted for from the fact that the unusually cold weather in June and July 

 did not warm up the waters and drive the fish down. From Lakes Muskoka, 

 Joseph and Rosseau come reports of increase in the number of pickerel taken, which 

 seems to indicate that the fish hatchery of the Muskoka Lakes' Trade Bureau is 

 doing good work towards restocking these waters. Lake Simcoe fishing was also re- 

 ported good and bass on the increase. A resident for some thirty years said that 

 fishing was as good as he could ever remember it. The prohibition for some years 

 of commercial fishing in these waters seems to have brought the supply back to 

 normal again. These waters contain a large food reserve supply of herring and 

 whitefish. 



Your faithfully, 



' Herbert Ditchbuek. 



